Anterior prefrontal function and the limits of human decision-making

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• The frontopolar cortex (FPC), the most anterior part of the frontal lobes, is crucial for executive functions.
• Decision-making processes in the prefrontal cortex are often constrained by serial task execution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review empirical evidence on the FPC's role in managing concurrent behavioral plans.
• To understand how the FPC overcomes serial constraints in task control.

Main Methods:

• Review of empirical evidence on FPC function.
• Analysis of mechanistic explanations involving FPC interactions with neighboring prefrontal regions.

Main Results:

• The FPC enables contingent interposition of two concurrent behavioral plans based on reward expectations.
• This function overcomes the serial constraint in prefrontal cortex task execution.
• FPC capacity is limited, suggesting a specialized role.

Conclusions:

• The FPC protects long-term mental plans from immediate environmental demands.
• It is involved in generating new behavioral or cognitive sequences.
• The FPC is less suited for complex decision-making and reasoning compared to its role in task management.